MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Do you scrutinise movie sound effects?

Do you scrutinise movie sound effects?


I will sometimes think "nah it wouldn't have made that sound in those conditions".

Or "it would only sound like that up close, not from my POV"

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Car tires screeching inapropriately often bothers me.

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I've seen that in films where the car is pulling out slowly or in on road conditions where that wouldn't happen.

It's especially stupid when the car is slow.

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I had that guy screaming as he falls effect that has a name that is escaping me at the moment.

Whenever I hear that and I'm enjoying a film, it pulls me right out because it sounds so fake.

Meanwhile, other comments are interesting.

A knife or a sword doesn't make the movie sound, but when we hear that sound we know what is going on. That's really interesting.

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The Wilhelm Scream.

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Once you hear it you can´t un-hear it. I swear, I just laugh any time I hear a Wilhelm scream in a movie now.

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I think if I have to wonder about sound effects, the movie may not be working.

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I've made sound effects for trailers, so it changes your perception.

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No doubt. But if I'm immersed in a movie I hope I'm not focusing on sound effects, score, lighting, etc. I'm just a seat of the pants viewer, so I'm not thinking about the technical aspects.

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I'm not one for nitpicking movies about such things.

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Every button in any computer always beeps. And every single random animation shown in the monitor always emits electronic chirps.

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Yes, I find this to be outdated sound effects. It worked in the 80s and 90s but now everyone has a computer and knows they don't constantly beep.

I'll add hidden bombs with little lights that also emit electronic chirps. It seems to defeat the purpose for a hidden bomb to be making noises but Hollywood just can't help putting that beep in.

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Computer operators in movies must be deaf or they would turn insane in no time listening to constant beeps and chirps.

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Not quite, but I used to work as a sound engineer and the studio had a few sound fx banks, and it really bugs me how lazy movies and tv shows are that they all use the SAME stock sound fx. Like, you will always hear the exact same car hooting in doppler effect on practically EVERY show and movie (come from an fx bank called The Hollywood Edge). The SAME woman scream, the same gunshot sounds, etc. They probably think nobody notices.

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You rarely hear a good genuine fart in film. There was a good realistic one in Tango & Cash (1989) when Cash elbows the prison bunk above him in frustration and the cellmate let's one go thereafter. One of the best farts I've seen to this day. 🤔

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